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2 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.) I A. G. BROWN.

STEAM ENGINE No; 514,747. Patented Feb. 13,1394

Witnesses; Ifiventor Jaw Sac.

Attorney (No Model.) 2 SheetsShe'et 2. w

A. G. BROWN. I

' STEAM ENGINEr No. 514,747. Patented Feb. 13, 1894.

(hT g n 7- Witnesses Inventor /@I I Attorney v UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE.

ARTHUR GEORGE BROWN, OF BOLTON, ENGLAND.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 514.7%7, dated February 13, 1894.

Application filed May 15,1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR GEORGE BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bolton, county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, (Case B,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in steam engines and the improvements will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which I Figure 1, is a vertical longitudinal section of a steam engine exemplifying my invention; Fig; 2, a vertical transverse section of the same through the large cylinder and its steam chest; and Fig. 3 a similar section of one of the small cylinders with its steam chest.

Fig. 1 is a view from the front, andthe lefthand of Fig. 2 is the front. The engine is illustrated as a balanced engine with two smallcylinders and one large cylinder, all the cylinders being single acting, that is to say,

steam acts on one face only of the pistons.

In the drawings :1, indicates the bed-plate: 2, back-frames rising therefrom to support the cylinders: 3, columns rising from the front of the bed-plate to aid in supporting the cylinders: 4, the crank-shaft, journaled in the bed-plate: 5, one of the small cylinders: 6, the other small cylinder: 7, the cranks for the small cylinders, these two cranks beingformed in the same line: 8, the large cylinder, equal in area to the combined areas of the two small cylinders: 9, the crank for the large cylinder, set directly opposite the two cranks of the small cylinders: 10, the small pistons: 11, the large piston: 12, connecting-rods connecting the cranks 7 with the small pistons, through the usual piston-rods provided with the usual cross-heads: 13, a connecting-rod, connecting the crank 9 with the large piston, throughthe medium of the usual piston-rod and crosshead, the weight of the reciprocating parts, piston, piston-rod, crosshead, and connectingrod, of the large cylinder being equal to the combined weights of the corresponding parts for the two small cylinders: 14, a cylindrical steam chest for the large cylinder: 15,asimilar steam chest for each of the small cylinders: 16, a port placing the upper end of a Serial lie-474.177 (No model.

- cylinder in communication with its steam I chest, the arrangement of this port being the same as regards each cylinder and its steam chest: 17, a. port placing the lower end of each cylinder in communication with its steam chest; 18, a steam inlet to each of the small steam chest 15; 19, an exhaust connection from each steam chest; 20, a steam inlet to large steam chest: 22, a valve-piston working in the upper portion of each steam chest, above the ports 16: 23, a valve-piston in each steam chest working over the ports 17: 24, a

valve stem, one for each steam-chest, connecting the two valve-pistons 22 and 23thercin: 25, a guiding cross-head for each of the valve-stems 24, the provision being identical ;for each steam chest as regards ports 16 and 17 and valve-pistons 22 and 23, and valvestems 2 L and their cross-heads 25: 26, a rockshaft extending along under the series of steam chests,'parallel with the crank-shaft: 27, a link, pivoted at one end to an arm on the rock-shaft 26 and pivoted at the other end to one of the connecting-rods, to the connecting-rod of the large cylinder in the exemplification, the point of pivotal attachment'of the link to the connecting-rod being close to the crank-pin so as to partake of substantially the same motion as the crank-pin: 28, an arm projecting from rock-shaft 26, under the steam-chest of the large cylinder: 29, a link connecting rock-shaft arm 28 with the valve-stem cross-head of the large cylinder: 30, arms projecting from rock-shaft 26 in a direction opposite that of arm 28, these arms 30 being under the steam chests of the small cylinders: 31, links connecting the arms 30 with the valve-stem cross-heads of the small cylinders: and 32, a port in each steam chest, above port 16, placing the steam inlets 18 and 20 in communication with the interior of their respective steam-chests, valve pistons 22 covering and uncovering these ports.

With the parts in the position shown in the drawings, the large piston 11 is at the top of its stroke and valve pistons 22 and 23 of the large cylinder are rising. The action in the large cylinder will be described,the action in the two small cylinders being the same but alternating with that of the large cylinder as to time.

IOC

As valves 22 and 23 rise, the steam enters above the large piston and presses the piston down, the steam under the piston exhausting at 19. The piston makes its up stroke while the valves are down, under which circumstances both the steam and the exhaust are cut off from the steam-chest, the steam that was above the piston therefore simply passing to the steam-chest through port 16 and thence to the under side of the piston through port 17, the piston therefore rising while the steam acts upon it in equilibrium. This action has merely transferred the steam from the upper end of the cylinder-to the lower end, and on the next down stroke that steam will be exhausted, as before.

The operation in the two small cylinders is the same as that described, except that as the large piston moves one way the two small pistons movethe opposite way. The two small pistons go up, while the large piston goes down, and the valve-pistons of the two small cylinders go up while the low valve-pistons of the large cylinder go down. Both the power.

and the weight acting upon the oppositely set cranks are equalized.

Fig. 3 shows the position of the small pistons and their valves at the time the large piston is in the position shown in Fig. 2.

If the link 27, instead of being pivoted to a connecting-rod, were pivoted directly to the crank the motion produced upon the valves would be virtually the same and the construction would be a mere equivalent.

The engines may be used singly, that is, either may be employed in the absence of its fellows. The triple arrangement illustrated is productive of very steady running at high speeds.

I'claim as my invention- 1. In a steam engine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a crank-shaft with two cranks in one line and a third crank set opposite, a piston connected with each of the first mentioned cranks, a piston connected with the third crank and having an area equal to the combined areas of the other two pistons, cylinders and steam-chests for said pistons, and steam passages and valves and valvegearing arranged to at one time admit steam over the small pistons and discharge steam from under those pistons and place the upper and lower ends of the large cylinder in communication, and at another time to place the upper and lower ends of the small cylinders in communication and exhaust the steam from below the large piston and admit steam above the large piston.

2. In a steam engine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a crank-shaft, a piston a connecting-rod directly engaging the crank and connected with said piston by a piston-rod, a cylinder and steam chest having suitable steam passages, a valve in the steam chest, a rock-shaft, a connectionbetween said rock-shaft and said valve, and a link connecting said rock-shaft with the end of the connecting-rod at the crank.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of two cylinders arranged side by side, a double crank-shaft in the plane of and at right angles to the axis of said cylinders, a piston and connecting-rod and valve for each of said two cylinders, a rock-shaft arranged parallel with said crank-shaft, oppositely projecting arms fast on said rock-shaft and connected with said two valves respectively, and means, as a link, for communicating motion from said crankshaft to said rock-shaft.

ARTHUR GEQRGE BROWN.

Vitnesses:

D. G. MCCLEMENT, CHAS. GROUNDWATER. 

